EXCHANGE Kickoff Meeting
On 11 September 2020, the Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor hosted the kick-off meeting of EXCHANGE — Explore Cross-border Aquatic Biodiversity.
The meeting brought together representatives of the University of Dubrovnik’s Aquarium Dubrovnik, the University of Montenegro’s Institute of Marine Biology, the Tourism Organisation of Kotor, the Tourist Board of Herzegovina–Neretva Canton and Hutovo Blato Nature Park.
I presented the project’s goals and activities, providing a basis for reviewing partner responsibilities, implementation arrangements and priorities for the first reporting period.
Establishing a common implementation framework
The discussions connected the project objectives with the work assigned to each partner. Particular attention was given to activities already undertaken during the first project month and those requiring completion within the initial three-month reporting period.
Partners reviewed the action plan, upcoming events and training activities, alongside arrangements for communication and a common visual identity.
The Partnership Agreement was signed during the meeting, establishing a formal basis for implementation. Representatives of the leading institution, Aquarium Dubrovnik, contributed to the opening, presentation of the agreement and closing discussion.
Photo: Lead partner representatives, from left: Nenad Antolović and Nikša Glavić, Aquarium Dubrovnik, University of Dubrovnik.
Agreeing on Blue Pass
A key decision was the selection of Blue Pass as the name of the joint tourism product.
Partners also discussed the development of background materials on aquatic biodiversity that would inform training, audio guides, websites, social media and interactive kiosks. This connected the project’s educational content with the channels through which visitors would encounter it.
The Institute of Marine Biology was assigned a role in preparing promotional materials for the partnership, while coordinated translation and visual identity arrangements would support consistent communication.
Planning training and cross-border exchange
The meeting outlined a programme of future activities covering Adriatic Sea biodiversity, River Neretva biodiversity and Hutovo Blato biodiversity, together with training for website administrators and tourism presentation in English.
Planning also addressed the uncertainty created by COVID-19 travel restrictions. The proposed launch event in Dubrovnik would therefore need to accommodate either physical or online participation.
My presentation contributed to a shared understanding of the project’s scope and the relationship between its activities. The meeting established the initial coordination arrangements for turning those objectives into educational resources, joint promotion and cross-border tourism experiences.
Cover photo: Aleksandar Joksimović, Institute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro, opening kickoff meeting
